How the 52 Week Money Challenge Saved the Bacon

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My three year old son decided one afternoon that he would do the dishes for me. He pulled a Rubbermaid tote up to the counter and proceeded to pull the dishes out of the dish drainer. You probably already guessed the flaw in his plan but I was not fast enough to point out the fact that a Rubbermaid storage container was not the best idea for a stool… Sure enough, the tote began to teeter and before I could make a flying leap across the room, he had pulled the dish drainer down, when it wobbled, to regain strength. Now I have a phobia, if you will, about plastic containers. I can never get the grease adequately cleaned up. Therefore I had replaced all our plastic with Pyrex dishes and porcelain plates, cups, bowls, and the works. Mason jars use to store dry goods and liquids. So, where did all this glass end up when being pulled down by a three year old boy? You guessed it! All over the hard flooring, shattering everywhere. My first concern was his finger which he was holding while he was crying. I couldn’t tell if he was more scared or more hurt. The finger was throbbing but what caught my eye was the blood beginning to fall down his cheek. 15 minutes later, I couldn’t gauge how deep the gash was because there was still a lot of blood. I opted for safe decision and headed to the ER. An hour later and some super glue we headed home. For the next week or so I kept more of an eye on my son then I did the mailbox but that looming bill was forever in my head. If this had happened earlier in the day, I could have easily gone to the Urgent Care or Rural Health and saved us a ton of money, but kids just don’t think about that sort of convenience when they get hurt.

Today the ER bill arrived. This is where the 52 week money challenge came into play. The total amount for the hospital alone was $710. I knew I would have to dig into our Emergency Fund but I also knew that we had to replace the key ignition in our vehicle which was around $600 as well. The van needs other work as well but I had only heard of the ignition amount quoted. So we had already set aside money for the van and now my son’s emergency bill wiped it all out and we still had to pay for the van work. My life is a little crazy right now with schooling and so taking on extra work is just completely overwhelming and not really feasible, if I want to be honest here. In trying to brainstorm I looked more into cutting the budget for a few months in certain areas and just do payment plans. Our hospital will give a 5% discount if you pay in full and that may seem like not very much for paying cash but I haven’t been able to negotiate that lower and $35 is still over half our weekly grocery budget. Anyway, in doing the budget I came across my category for the 52 Week Money Saving Challenge. Each week you set aside a certain amount according to the week’s number. Week 1 = $1, Week 2= $2 and so on. The way I set it up for us was Week 1 = $52, Week 2= $51, and so on. I pulled the envelope out and there was $706 tucked away. That completely paid the Hospital bill and left some over, which I confess; I did spend right away by getting take out on the way home.

So, when I started this weekly saving envelope, it was for a treat at Christmas time. I even had this crazy idea of using it to travel and see some of our California missions. But God knew where we would need it most and it was all provided! And now, to be continued with part 2… because that is not all folks! We live an adventure every day!